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TRANS  JORPANIA 


A  RABIA 


Builder  of  Good  Will 


“ The  briefest  sojourn  on  its  lovely  campus ,  among 
its  two  dozen  noble  buildings ,  with  its  superb  views, 
eastward  and  northward,  of  opalescent  Lebanon,  and 
westward  of  the  great  blue  sea;  with  a  visit  to  its 
museums,  its  laboratories,  its  observatory,  its  library, 
its  athletic  fields,  its  hospitals,  its  student  buildings ; 
interviews  with  its  hundred  teachers;  contact  with  its 
thousand  students  of  many  races  ( Syrian ,  Turk, 
Tartar,  Persian,  Indian,  Egyptian)  and  of  many 
religions  (Moslem,  Druze,  Jewish,  Bahai  and  all  the 
Christian  sects),  as  they  study,  as  they  play,  as  they 
worship — a  visit,  I  say,  of  this  kind  establishes  the 
irrefutable  conviction  that  here  has  been  created  a 
4 psychological  climate 9  from  whose  influence  no  stu¬ 
dent  can  escape.  He  is  not,  indeed,  always  aware  of 
the  changes  in  himself.  .  .  .  The  fruitage  of  this  seed 
may  not  come  until  long  after  he  has  left  the  College 
campus.  But  a  change  is  being  wrought,  and  he  is 
daily  learning,  not  merely,  not  chiefly  from  his  books, 
lessons  in  fairness,  in  honesty ,  in  purity,  in  respect  for 
labour  and  for  learning  and  culture,  in  reverence,  in 
modesty,  in  courage,  in  self-control,  in  regard  for 
women,  in  the  many  forces  which  make  for  religion. 

.  .  .  Wherever  this  man  goes,  he  makes  it  easier  to 
foster  education,  to  overturn  tyranny,  to  soften  fanat¬ 
icism,  to  promote  freedom  in  state  and  church.” 

Dr.  Howard  S.  Bliss, 

In  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  May,  1920. 


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  (1 1 1 1 1 1 1 !  1 1 1 1 1 1 !  1 1 1 1 1 ,  ,,  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 , 1 1 ,  |  (|  |  ,  |  m  |  ,  |  ,  M|  |  ,  1 1  K|  m  n  n  I  M  u  ! 


0 . 1 . . . . . . . . . . iiiiiii . . . . . 


E 


TOURIST  GUIDE 


to 

The  American  University 

of  Beirut 


“ Builder  of  Good  Will" 


Published  by 

Near  East  Colleges 

18  East  Forty-first  Street 
New  York,  U.  S.  A. 


0 . . . . . • . . . . . it . . . ■■■■■in . .  hi  ■  ■  . . in  iiiiiii  iiiiiii  n  i[Ti 


BEIRUT  AND  THE  HARBOUR  WITH  THE  LEBANONS  IN  THE  DISTANCE. 


Beirut 


BERYTUS,  as  Beirut  was  known,  was  one  of  the  most 
ancient  settlements  on  the  Phoenician  coast;  but 
nothing  more  of  it  than  the  name  is  known  till  B.C. 

1 40,  when  the  town  was  taken  and  destroyed  by  Tryphon 
in  his  contest  with  Antiochus  VII  for  the  throne  of  the 
Seleucids,”  according  to  the  Encyclopedia  Britanmca. 
“It  duly  passed  under  Rome,  much  favored  by  the  Herods, 
and  became  a  colonia.'  It  was  famous  for  its  schools, 
especially  that  of  law,  from  the  fourth  century  A.D. 
onwards.  Justinian  recognized  it  as  one  of  three  official 
law  schools  of  the  empire  (A.D.  533)  but  within  a  few 
years,  as  the  result  of  a  disastrous  earthquake  (551), 
the  students  were  transferred  to  Sidon. 

“In  the  following  century  the  city  passed  on 
to  the  Arabs  (635),  and  was  not  again  a  Christian  city 
till  1111,  when  Baldwin  captured  it.  Saladin  retook  it 
in  1  187,  and  thence-forward,  for  six  centuries  and  a  half, 
whoever  its  nominal  lords  may  have  been,  Saracen,  Cru¬ 
sader,  Mameluke  or  (from  the  16th  century)  Turk,  the 
Druse  emirs  of  Lebanon  dominated  it.  When  the  powers 
moved  against  the  Egyptians  in  1  840,  Beirut  had  shortly 
before  been  occupied  in  force  by  Ibrahim  as  a  menace 
to  the  Druses;  but  he  was  easily  driven  out  after  a 
destructive  bombardment  by  Admiral  Sir  Ro  ert  top- 
ford.  After  the  pacification  of  the  Lebanon  in  I860, 
Beirut  greatly  increased  in  extent  and  became  the  centre 
of  the  transit  trade  for  Syria. 


Page  Three 


BEIRUT 

. . . . II . . . II 1 1 II I  lllllllll  Mill  1 1  Ml  III  II 111111111111111111111111 


The  City  of  Sunsets 

This  ancient  and  historical  city  on  the  eastern  shore 
of  the  Mediterranean  is  described  by  the  National  Geo¬ 
graphic  Society,  as  “the  City  of  Sunsets.” 

“Picture,  nestling  at  the  base  of  the  Lebanon,  a  many 
tinted  city  pushed  out  into  the  setting  sun  by  the  pressure 
of  a  famous  mountain  range,  which,  just  east  of  the  city 
and  robbing  it  of  the  early  morning  light,  towers  to  8,500 
feet  in  a  beautiful  mountain  whose  snowy  heights  form 
the  crystal  screen  upon  which  is  projected  the  rose  glow 
of  the  world’s  most  colorful  sunsets. 

“The  backbone  of  the  city  stretches  to  the  west  from 
a  low  alluvial  plain  which  almost  makes  Beirut  an  island. 
The  wharves  are  to  the  north,  looking  away  from  the 
more  famous  but  inferior  ports  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  to  the 
south  and  toward  the  other  Phoenician  ports  of  Tripoli 
and  Alexandretta  and  Seleucia,  all  of  which  have  old 
Phoenician  names  long  since  forgotten  by  the  inhabitants. 

Rivals  Bay  of  Napl  es 

“Just  outside  the  disfiguring  breakwater  lies  the  blu¬ 
est,  most  nearly  perfect  curve  of  bay  east  of  Naples.  It 
bears  the  name  of  St.  George  and  although  it  is  the 
French  that  have  improved  it,  the  British  have  made 
it  notable  on  their  beautiful  gold  coins,  now  extinct, 
which  showed  St.  George  killing  the  dragon. 

“The  streets  of  Beirut  are  narrow  and  full  of  life. 
The  buildings  are  kalsomined  in  various  hues,  ugly  near 
at  hand,  but  truly  Turneresque  from  a  distance.  On  one 
of  the  highest  points  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  high  rib 
which  the  city  straddles  there  is  a  military  barracks. 
Beirut  has  tram  lines  which  run  along  the  backbone,  and 
near  the  center  of  the  city  there  is  a  small  park  around 


Page  Four 


BEIRUT 

Mill . Ill  II II 1 1  III . HIM  I . Ml . II . MMMMMMM . MIMIMMM . Ml . 


which  the  trams  turn.  There  is  another  line  of  trams 
which  runs  to  the  south  to  a  beautiful  grove  of  pines 
which  were  planted  to  save  the  city  from  the  drifting 
sands. 

Beautiful  College  Campus 

“The  western  end  of  the  limestone  ridge  is  called 
Ras  Beirut,  or  the  point  of  Beirut,  and  near  the  extremity 
of  this  section  there  is  one  of  the  loveliest  college  cam¬ 
puses  on  earth  (American  University  of  Beirut)  with 
more  than  a  score  of  principal  buildings.  Possibly  no¬ 
where  else  on  earth  has  America’s  name  been  more 
revered,  and  so  lovely  is  the  scene  of  the  deep  blue  bay 
and  the  snowy  mountain  range  that  there  has  long  been 
a  standing  argument  between  this  college  and  Robert 
College  at  Rumeli  Hissar,  outside  Constantinople  on  the 
Bosporus,  as  to  which  has  the  lovelier  view. 

“In  from  the  west  and  north  sweep  the  waves  which 
are  eating  away  at  the  limestone  cliffs  and  each  year  the 
shore  line  recedes  before  the  fierce  battle  with  the  waters 
upon  which  the  Phoenician  argosies  set  out  in  search  of 
fame  and  commerce.  Narrow  coves  extend  in  from  the 
sea  and  in  these  one  finds  some  of  the  finest  natural 
swimming  pools.  These  coves  form  the  playground  of 
the  college  students  and  each  has  its  name.  There  is 
the  Preparatory  Cove  for  young  students,  the  College 
Cove  and  the  Faculty  Cove  where  the  young  American 
teachers  swim. 

Famous  Tourist  Route 

“From  the  harbor  there  rises  a  cog  wheel  railway 
which  connects  the  ancient  city  of  Damascus  to  the  sea- 
coast.  It  is  this  French  railway  and  the  French  harbor 
which  has  given  Beirut  its  prominence  as  a  port  and  few 


Page  Five 


BEIRUT 


indeed  are  the  Palestinian  tourists  who  have  not  passed 
over  this  road  while  leaving  the  world’s  oldest  city,  a 
green  oasis  in  the  midst  of  the  tawny  desert,  and  the 
Cyclopean  ruins  of  Baalbek,  to  return  to  the  ship  for 
home. 

“The  natives  say  that  the  Lebanon  has  summer  in 
its  lap,  spring  on  its  bosom  and  winter  on  its  head  and 
by  moving  up  the  slopes  one  can  find  the  temperature 
desired.  The  mountains  offer  various  summer  resorts 
for  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Beirut  and  rich  Egyp¬ 
tians.  There  are  gaming  places  on  Lebanon,  and  up  the 
winding  roads  there  now  climb  motor  cars  of  all  shapes 
and  sizes.  The  green  masses  of  the  foothills  are  dotted 
with  pretty  Lebanon  villages  from  which  thousands  of 
Syrians  have  set  out  across  the  sea  as  did  the  Phoenicians 
from  the  same  port  but  to  the  land  in  America  instead 
of  to  the  chalk  cliffs  of  Albion,  where  tin  was  obtained 
in  ancient  times.” 


Government  of  Syria 

On  July  20,  1923,  the  Assembly  of  the  League  of 
Nations  confirmed  the  French  mandate  over  Syria.  This 
state  is  bounded  on  the  South  by  Palestine  and  Trans- 
jordania,  on  the  east  by  Irak  and  on  the  north  by  Turkey. 
It  contains  an  area  of  approximately  70,000  square  miles 
and  its  population  numbers  about  3,350,000.  General 
Weygand  is  the  French  High  Commissioner  of  the  terri¬ 
tory.  He  is  assisted  by  a  Syrian  Governor  and  a  Syrian 
council  of  ministers  with  French  advisers. 

The  state  is  divided  into  four  administrative  districts. 
Beirut  is  an  autonomous  municipality  in  the  Lebanon 
district.  The  Alauite  Territory  also  has  a  special  ad¬ 
ministration. 


Page  Six 


BEIRUT 

■  ■■■■  . mu mi  . .  ii  i  ii  mi  in  mi  1 1  in  mi . in . "in 

Each  of  the  four  districts  has  a  separate  administra¬ 
tion  under  a  French  official  appointed  by  the  High  Com¬ 
missioner,  and  a  council  of  French  and  Syrians.  The 
districts  choose  delegates  to  a  Federal  Council  which  sits 
in  an  advisory  capacity  on  questions  of  general  concern 
to  all,  such  as  customs,  finance  and  legislation. 

Commerce  and  Industry 

With  a  good  harbor  and  favorable  environs,  Beirut, 
now  a  city  of  about  200,000,  has  outdistanced  the  rival 
ports  of  Tripoli  and  Alexandretta  to  the  north  and  is 
today  the  metropolis  of  Syria. 

Damascus,  the  gateway  of  the  desert,  lies  just  beyond 
the  Lebanon  mountains  directly  to  the  east  of  Beirut. 
Modern  motor  transport  facilities  out  from  Damascus 
across  Mesopotamia  link  the  hinterland  more  closely  with 
the  old  Phoenician  city  on  the  coast.  The  northern 
boundary  of  the  state  lies  along  the  railroad  line  eastward 
from  Aleppo  and  thus  cuts  off  by  a  customs  barrier  a 
rich  country  to  the  north  which  formerly  gave  a  pros¬ 
perous  trade  to  Aleppo  and  stimulated  the  activity  of 
its  nearest  port,  Alexandretta. 

Syria  enjoys  a  diversity  of  climates  within  a  very 
narrow  strip  of  territory.  Leguminous  and  graminous 
crops  flourish  along  the  seashore  where  the  climate  is 
also  favorable  to  the  fig  and  olive;  tobacco  is  raised 
successfully.  Further  inland  wheat  and  corn  are  grown, 
and  there  are  vineyards  and  apple,  pear  and  apricot 
orchards.  In  the  mountains  are  forests  of  pine  and  oak, 
and  mulberry  orchards  and  vineyards.  Such  crops  allow 
the  export  of  a  certain  amount  of  olives,  olive  oil,  raisins, 
fruit  and  fruit  paste,  and  cocoons.  In  the  interior  are 
tanneries  and  a  few  native  textile  industries.  Rugs  and 


Page  Seven 


■  I  ii  mi  min  mu  ii  inn  mi  ii  him  ii  mi  ii  1 1 


BEIRUT 


ornamental  brass  wares  are  characteristic  products. 
Flocks  and  herds  provide  wool,  skins,  sheep  casings  and 
hides  for  export.  But  no  mineral  wealth  has  been  found 
or  developed  and  since  the  production  of  foodstuffs 
within  the  country  is  insufficient  for  its  needs  and  the 
exports  are  so  limited  in  quantity  the  trade  balance  has 
thus  far  been  adverse.  This  is  offset  in  a  measure  by 
remittances  from  Syrians  located  in  America  and  else¬ 
where  abroad. 

The  approximate  foreign  trade  statistics  for  1922  as 
given  in  the  United  States  Consular  reports  are:  Imports, 
$41,1  19,902;  exports,  $7,206,448.  In  1922  the  United 
Kingdom  was  first;  France,  second;  Germany,  fifth,  and 
the  United  States  sixth  in  the  amount  of  imports  into 
Syria.  The  United  States  was  fourth  in  the  order  of 
destination  of  exports  from  Syria. 

The  chief  imports  and  the  principal  countries  of  ori¬ 
gin  of  goods  shipped  through  the  port  of  Beirut  during 
1922  were:  cotton  goods,  from  Italy,  the  United  Kingdom 
and  Egypt;  food  products  from  France,  Italy  and  Nether¬ 
lands;  liquors  and  beverages  from  France,  Germany  and 
Egypt;  colonial  products  and  grain  from  Egypt,  the 
United  States  and  France;  iron  and  steel  from  Belgium 
and  England;  building  material  from  France  and  Bel¬ 
gium;  automobiles  and  petroleum  from  the  United  States. 

Syrian  Currency 

The  Syrian  currency  system  is  taken  from  the  French, 
and  the  financial  relations  of  the  two  countries  are  so 
linked  that  the  value  of  the  Syrian  money  fluctuates  with 
the  value  of  the  French  franc.  Twenty  French  francs 
equal  one  Syrian  lira,  whose  original  value  was  about 
$4.00.  One  lira  is  one  hundred  Syrian  piasters. 


Page  Eight 


BE  I  RUT 


GUIDE  FOR  TOURISTS 

Visitors  Welcome  at  the  University 

All  tourists  are  most  cordially  invited  to  the  Uni¬ 
versity.  The  institution  is  easily  accessible  by  motor, 
carriage  or  street  car  and  is  a  fifteen  minutes  walk  from 
the  center  of  the  city.  When  going  by  trolley  one  can 
take  car  marked  ‘‘Phare  near  the  steamship  pier,  and 
get  off  at  “Kulleyyah,  ’  which  is  the  entrance  of  the 
University. 

The  “City  Tour” — Side  Trips 

In  addition  to  a  visit  to  the  American  University  a 
tour  of  the  city  could  include  the  Ocean  Drive,  Pigeon 
Rocks,  the  French  High  Commissioner’s  Residence  and 
Park,  the  Armenian  Refugee  Camp,  the  American  Board 
School  for  Girls,  the  Mission  Compound  with  schools 
and  the  American  Press  and  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Service 
Center. 

The  following  interesting  side  trips  are  suggested: 

1.  North  from  Beirut  to  ancient  Jibail,  ancient  in¬ 
scriptions  on  the  cliffs  of  Dog  River;  royal  tombs;  Arme¬ 
nian  orphanages. 

2.  Shebaniyah,  2500  feet  up  in  the  Lebanon  moun¬ 
tains.  Beautiful  views.  Site  of  the  only  tuberculosis  hos¬ 
pital  in  Syria.  Time,  one-half  day. 

3.  Lebanon  Mountain  trip,  along  the  Sidon  road, 
up  through  Shweifat,  Aim  Ainub  and  Shimlan  back  along 
the  Lebanon  ridge  looking  down  upon  Beirut  and  the 
ocean  2500  feet  below,  through  Suk-el-Gharb  and  Aleih 
(popular  summer  resorts)  down  past  the  Asfuriyeh  to 
Beirut.  Time  one-half  day. 


Page  Nine 


STUDENTS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  LEAVING  CHAPEL 


The  American  University 

of  Beirut 


SITUATED  in  the  land  which  has  been  the  birthplace 
of  three  great  religions,  the  American  University  of 
Beirut  is  one  of  the  most  cosmopolitan  educational 
institutions  in  the  world.  It  is  proving  to  be  a  powerful 
force  in  bringing  the  leaders  of  many  nationalities  in  the 
Near  East  into  a  better  understanding  and  appreciation 
of  each  other.  It  has  been  referred  to  as  a  perpetual 
peace  conference  in  the  interest  of  international  good  will. 

Dr.  Daniel  Bliss,  The  Central  Figure 

The  tragic  events  of  1 860  in  Syria  were  a  kind  of 
mental  earthquake  that  shook  the  people  out  of  a  self- 
satisfied  lethargy  and  made  them  long  to  know  more  of 
the  world  outside  of  Syria.  The  desire  for  knowledge 
was  more  or  less  indefinite  until  the  American  Mission 
in  Syria  gave  it  shape. 

Dr.  Daniel  Bliss  was  a  central  figure  in  this  early 
educational  movement.  The  schools  in  Syria  were  not 
adapted  to  meet  all  the  varied  demands  of  the  country, 
and  the  need  of  a  real  college  was  strongly  felt. 

In  January,  1862,  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
Mission  to  consider  this  question  recommended  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  a  “Literary  Institution  of  high  character  to 


Page  Eleven 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


be  guided  and  guarded  by  the  combined  wisdom  and 
experience  of  the  Mission”  though  not  organically  con¬ 
nected  with  it.  Dr.  Daniel  Bliss  was  chosen  Principal  of 
the  institution.  Subsequently  he  was  directed  to  go  to 
America  to  acquaint  the  public  with  this  proposal  to  found 
a  college. 

In  America  when  Dr.  Bliss  had  been  assured  of  funds 
for  the  institution,  chiefly  through  the  staunch  support 
of  William  Earl  Dodge,  he  visited  the  Board  of  Regents 
of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  at  Albany 
and,  with  the  advocacy  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  charter  for  the  college.  On  April  24,  1863, 
it  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New 
York  as  “The  Trustees  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College.” 

Two  years  were  spent  by  Dr.  Bliss  in  the  United 
States  and  a  year  and  a  half  in  England  in  the  effort  to 
raise  money  for  the  college.  He  returned  to  Beirut  in 
March,  1866.  In  England  he  had  collected  a  little  more 
than  four  thousand  pounds  sterling  which  enabled  him 
to  start  his  college  at  once  while  he  wisely  allowed  the 
$100,000  in  greenbacks  collected  in  the  United  States 
to  regain  par  value. 

The  college  opened  on  December  3,  1 866.  There 
were  sixteen  students. 

New  Site  Selected 

For  three  years  the  college  was  housed  in  four  or 
five  rooms  in  an  insignificant  building  in  an  unattrac¬ 
tive  district  of  the  city  of  Beirut.  The  all  important 
question  soon  arose  regarding  its  final  location  on  land 
and  in  buildings  of  its  own.  “We  rode  everywhere 
through  the  city,”  states  Dr.  Bliss  in  his  “Reminiscences,” 
“looking  as  we  rode.  Finally  we  saw  the  piece  of  ground 


Page  T tv  elve 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


where  the  college  now  stands  and  fell  in  love  with  it  at 
sight  and  immediately  decided  that  we  had  found  the 
finest  site  in  all  Beirut  if  not  in  all  Syria.”  In  later  years, 
Dr.  Bliss  used  to  point  with  amusement  to  some  of  the 
sites  which  had  first  been  suggested,  which  showed  that 
those  who  proposed  them  had  utterly  failed  to  grasp  the 
idea  of  a  home  for  a  great  university. 

New  Departments 

Urged  by  the  crying  need  for  trained  physicians  in  a 
“land  cursed  by  medical  quacks  and  jugglers”  the  Faculty 
organized  a  School  of  Medicine  in  1867,  but  one  year 
after  the  opening  of  the  college  proper.  The  clinic  was 
small  and  at  the  beginning  there  were  only  four  beds  in 
the  hospital.  It  is  remarkable  that  at  the  start  a  four 
years’  course  in  the  Medical  Department  was  offered 
although  nearly  all  the  medical  schools  in  America  had 
at  that  time  a  three  years’  course  only. 

In  1875  the  School  of  Pharmacy  was  founded  as  a 
natural  supplement  to  the  Medical  School. 

The  native  schools  were  not  adequate  in  number,  or 
in  character  to  supply  students  ready  for  college  work. 
During  the  early  years  the  college  was  obliged  to  insti¬ 
tute  supplementary  classes  to  fit  applicants  for  entrance. 
Finally  in  1  880  these  classes  were  organized  into  a  Pre¬ 
paratory  Department  which  now  is  not  only  a  feeder  for 
the  college  but  is  a  complete  institution  in  itself  to  pro¬ 
vide  a  superior  secondary  education  for  those  unable  to 
continue  their  courses  further. 

The  School  of  Commerce,  established  in  1900,  grew 
out  of  a  conviction  that  a  great  service  could  be  rendered 
in  developing  a  higher  degree  of  business  efficiency 
among  the  people  of  the  Near  East  and  infusing  a  higher 


Page  Thirteen 


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AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 

. . . . . 

standard  of  ethics  into  their  trading  activities.  First  class 
clerical  material  is  only  a  by-product  of  this  school;  the 
primary  purpose  of  its  technical  training  is  to  fit  men  for 
the  larger  work  of  organizing  and  conducting  business 
undertakings  according  to  modern  methods. 

In  1902  at  the  age  of  79,  Dr.  Bliss  resigned  the  presi¬ 
dency  of  the  college,  after  a  period  of  more  than  half 
his  lifetime  at  the  helm.  When  he  became  President- 
Emeritus  his  active  duties  did  not  cease.  For  some  years 
longer  he  conducted  his  classes  and  attended  Faculty 
meetings  until  1912.  He  passed  away  at  Beirut  in  June, 
1916.  Dr.  Howard  Sweetser  Bliss  succeeded  his  father 
as  President. 

The  Orient  has  been  slow  in  consenting  to  assign  to 
women  a  part  even  in  humanitarian  service,  but  in  1905 
the  college  led  the  way  in  starting  a  Nurses’  Training 
School.  Since  the  war  attendance  at  the  school  has 
doubled.  It  is  hoped  that  a  suitable  home  for  the  nurses 
can  be  provided  from  the  *  Mary  Bliss  Dale  Fund  that  is 
now  being  solicited. 

The  Teachers’  Training  Course  was  instituted  in  1909, 
the  first  year  after  the  Turkish  Revolution,  when  the 
promised  freedom  in  education  made  the  demand  for 
teachers  so  urgent. 

In  the  following  year  the  School  of  Dentistry  was 
founded.  In  1914,  courses  in  Agriculture  and  Engineer¬ 
ing  were  added  to  the  curriculum.  Most  appropriately 
in  the  land  of  the  Bible  a  School  of  Biblical  Archaeology 
and  Philology  has  been  organized  to  promote  research 
by  advanced  students. 


Page  Fifteen 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 

. . . . .  mi  hum  1 111 111 1  ii 

A  Great  University 

In  reading  this  long  list  of  the  schools  of  the  American 
University  of  Beirut  one  should  realize  that  these  schools 
are  established  far  from  America  in  a  land  which  was 
virtually  forgotten  by  the  western  world  during  a  period 
of  nearly  six  hundred  years  after  the  Crusades.  Twenty- 
nine  college  buildings  now  rise  on  a  piece  of  ground  that 
sixty  years  ago  was  a  bare  stretch  of  neglected  bluff 
above  the  sea.  They  may  truly  be  said  to  have  sprung 
from  that  ground  for  they  are  built  of  rock  quarried  in 
the  campus.  Picture  this  splendid  group  as  a  part  of 
Daniel  Bliss’  conception  sixty  years  ago  of  a  great  uni¬ 
versity  for  a  land  barren  of  social  and  intellectual  agencies 
and  unmindful  of  its  spiritual  heritage.  It  brings  a  thrill 
of  joy  and  pride  to  those  who  share  in  this  great  con¬ 
tribution  which  Americans  are  herein  making  not  only 
to  the  Near  East  but  to  the  many  lands  to  which  the 
thousands  of  the  University  graduates  have  scattered. 

The  War  Period 

Naturally  the  number  of  teachers  and  students  was 
affected  by  the  Great  War,  though  far  less  than  might 
have  been  expected.  The  diary  of  those  tense  years  of 
isolation  evidences  only  the  calm  courage  of  the  Presi¬ 
dent  and  his  faculty  and  their  unperturbed  confidence 
in  their  call  to  service  even  during  the  darkest  days. 
What  an  achievement  that  amid  the  turbulent  cross  cur¬ 
rents  of  the  war,  the  college  held  steadily  to  its  course, 
kept  its  doors  open  and  came  through  the  struggle 
crowned  with  prestige! 

In  1918,  Dr.  John  H.  Finley,  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  of  the  State  of  New  York,  visited  Beirut  and  the 
college.  It  was  largely  on  the  basis  of  his  report  on  the 


Page  Sixteen 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 

. . . .  ■■■■■■■■ . iiiiiitiiiiiiiiiituiiiniintiiiiiiiutiiiuni . ■■■■■■ . . . mu 

splendid  organization  and  work  of  the  college  that  the 
Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York  on  November  18,  1920,  amended  its  charter  and 
changed  its  name.  The  corporate  name  of  the  institution 
is  now  “The  Trustees  of  the  American  University  of 
Beirut.”  Dr.  Bliss  did  not  live  to  see  the  consummation 
of  these  negotiations.  The  stress  of  the  war  and  the 
strain  of  unwearying  effort  in  behalf  of  the  college  and 
Syria  during  armistice  period  had  undermined  his  con¬ 
dition.  He  passed  away  on  May  2,  1920. 

Coeducation 

The  Orient  has  only  slowly  been  persuaded  to  the 
importance  of  education  for  women  and  provisions  for 
their  education  have  been  correspondingly  meagre  and 
elementary.  But  the  women  of  the  Near  East  gained  a 
freedom  and  an  independence  through  their  war  service 
as  did  their  sisters  in  the  west,  and  they  demanded  the 
privileges  of  their  new  status.  The  University  had  what 
the  women  wanted  and  demanded  and  in  1920  the  pro¬ 
fessional  schools  were  opened  to  them.  In  1922  they 
were  admitted  to  the  upper  classes  in  the  School  of  Arts 
and  Sciences. 

President  Dodge  Inaugurated 

Rev.  Bayard  Dodge,  son-in-law  of  Dr.  Howard  Bliss, 
was  appointed  from  the  Faculty  of  the  University  to 
succeed  the  late  president.  The  inaugural  exercises  were 
held  on  the  University  grounds  on  June  28,  1923.  The 
presence  there  of  the  thousands  of  all  races  and  creeds 
and  ranks  of  the  Near  East  and  of  many  from  distant 
lands  was  a  fitting  testimony  of  the  love  and  esteem  which 
the  University  had  inspired  among  those  people  and  a 
token  of  their  gratitude  and  continued  loyalty. 


Page  Seventeen 


PANORAMIC  VIEW  OF  T 

The  University  is  nearing  the  close  of  its  sixth  decade. 

Its  place  is  established.  It  is  justified  of  its  students  in 
its  purpose  to  carry  on  in  a  new  era  which  had  opened 
for  the  people  of  the  Near  East.  It  has  many  loyal 
friends  in  America  and  there  are  a  few  whose  contribu¬ 
tions  have  been  most  generous.  The  men  and  women 
whose  donations  are  responsible  for  the  spacious  grounds 
and  substantial  buildings  of  the  University  have  contrib¬ 
uted  because  they  have  believed  in  its  work  for  the  up¬ 
building  of  the  civilization  of  the  Near  East.  The  Uni¬ 
versity  is  now  too  large  to  be  the  burden  of  a  limited 
group,  and  its  expanding  service  demands  a  wider  circle 
of  sympathetic  friends  who  will  contribute  to  its  support. 

Purpose  of  the  University 

As  a  privately  endowed  non-sectarian  institution,  the 
American  University  of  Beirut  aims  to  share  with  all  its 
students  the  Christian  heritage  of  thought  and  life.  It  is 
not  an  attempt  to  Americanize  the  natives.  Its  purpose 
is  rather  to  furnish  cultural  and  scientific  training  to  the 
young  men  and  young  women  who  are  to  be  the  leaders 
in  the  professional  and  commercial  life  of  the  Near  East; 


Page  Eighteen 


JNIVERSITY  BUILDINGS 


to  awaken  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  there  between  the 
members  of  hostile  races  and  sects;  and  to  inspire  the 
students  with  the  great  moral  standards  and  spiritual 
ideals  of  Christianity. 

“The  College  is  for  all  conditions  and  classes  of  men,” 
said  Dr.  Daniel  Bliss,  “without  reference  to  color,  nation¬ 
ality,  race  or  religion.  A  man,  white,  black,  or  yellow, 
Christian,  Jew,  Mohammedan  or  heathen  may  enter  and 
enjoy  all  the  advantages  of  the  institution  for  three,  four, 
or  eight  years,  and  go  out  believing  in  one  God  or  in 
many  gods  or  in  no  God;  but  it  will  be  impossible  for 
anyone  to  continue  with  us  long  without  knowing  what 
we  believe  to  be  the  truth  and  our  reasons  for  that  be¬ 
lief.”  The  character  and  aims  of  the  University  have 
again  been  most  convincingly  stated  by  Dr.  Howard  Bliss 
in  his  article,  “The  Modern  Missionary,”  that  appeared 
in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  of  May,  1920. 


Faculty 


The  University  means  new  life  to  thousands,  new 
ideas,  a  new  knowledge  of  the  teachings  of  Christianity, 
a  new  force  of  character  which  is  slowly  but  surely  revo¬ 
lutionizing  the  Near  East.  So  apparent  is  its  value  to  the 


Page  Nineteen 


PRESIDENT  BAYARD  DODGE  WITH  FACULTY  AND  STAFF  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


individual  students  and  to  the  countries  which  it  serves 
that  the  native  rulers  have  come  to  see  in  it  an  agency 
for  the  improvement  and  rehabilitation  of  their  states 
to  make  them  real  nations. 

The  Minister  of  Interior  under  King  Hussein  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Hedjaz  is  a  former  student  of  the  University; 
the  Minister  of  Defense  in  the  Kingdom  of  Irak  is  an 
alumnus.  To  students  in  America  King  Feisal  of  Irak  last 
year  sent  the  following  message:  “Tell  them  to  come 
out  here  and  build  an  institution  similar  to  the  American 
University  of  Beirut  and  Robert  College  at  Constan¬ 
tinople.” 

The  University  has  a  teaching  and  administrative 
force  of  1  36,  of  whom  about  fifty  are  Americans;  about 
the  same  number  are  Syrians  and  the  remainder  are 
British,  Greeks,  Armenians,  Hebrews  and  Swiss.  The 
greater  number  of  the  native  teachers  have  been  students 
at  the  University  and  they  have  shown  themselves  most 
capable  of  interpreting  in  Eastern  character  the  work  and 
spirit  of  the  institution. 

In  addition  to  the  members  of  the  permanent  faculty, 
there  are  American  instructors  who  go  out  to  the  Uni¬ 
versity  for  a  term  of  three  years.  From  six  to  eight  of 
these  younger  college  men  are  selected  each  year.  The 
effort  is  made  to  secure  on  the  Faculty  and  staff  repre¬ 
sentation  of  the  very  best  leadership  to  be  found  in 
America. 

Students 

The  students,  almost  a  thousand  in  number,  come 
from  Syria,  Palestine,  Arabia,  Irak,  Asia  Minor,  the 
Greek  Islands,  Persia,  the  Sudan,  Abyssinia,  and  occa¬ 
sionally  from  Russia,  Central  Europe  and  South  America. 
One  of  the  most  hopeful  evidences  of  the  large  service 


Page  Twenty-one 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


of  the  University  beyond  the  borders  of  Syria  is  the  fact 
that  nearly  fifty  students  have  come  this  year  from  the 
Mesopotamian  Kingdom  of  Irak  and  twenty-two  from 
Persia. 


The  students  belong  to  the  following  religious  sects: 
Moslems,  Bahais,  Druzes,  Jews,  Copts,  Gregorians,  Cath¬ 
olics  (Greek,  Armenian,  Maronite,  others),  Jacobite, 
Syriac,  Greek  Orthodox  and  Protestants.  They  represent 
every  class  in  society  and  under  the  supervision  of  broad¬ 
minded  Americans  they  learn  the  meaning  of  democratic 
social  life  together.  Of  late  years  between  40%  and  50% 
of  the  student  body  has  been  non-Christian. 


The  following  list  from  the  register  of  1922  is  typical 
of  the  cosmopolitan  character  of  the  student  body: 


Syrian . 

.561 

Brazilian . 

.  3 

Egyptian . 

.  99 

Turks . 

.  3 

Palestinian  .  .  . 

.  99 

Albanian  . 

.  2 

Armenian  .... 

.  74 

Swedish  . 

.  2 

Greek . 

.  27 

Austrian . 

.  1 

American  .... 

.  25 

Circassian . 

.  1 

Persian . 

.  19 

Italian . 

.  1 

Mesopotamian 

.  17 

Polish . 

.  1 

Russian  . 

.  15 

Spanish  . 

.  1 

Arab  . 

.  6 

British  Subjects 

.  5 

966 

Bulgarian  .... 

.  4 

The  following 

table 

shows  the  enrollment 

for  the 

year  1923-24: 

School  of  Pharmacy  .  20 

School  of  Nursing  .  41 

School  of  Dentistry .  44 

School  of  Commerce .  68 

School  of  Medicine  .  99 

School  of  Arts  and  Sciences . 166 

Preparatory  School .  470 


Total 


908 


Page  T jvenly-trvo 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


. . .  ■  ■  ■  1 1  ■  ■  ■  ■  ■  ■  ■  ■  1 1  ■  ■  ■  . . 


.  . . . . 


CLASS  IN  BACTERIOLOGY 


The  Curricula 

The  American  University  of  Beirut  is  a  real  uni¬ 
versity  with  all  the  leading  professional  schools  (except 
those  of  law  and  theology),  as  well  as  a  liberal  arts  col¬ 
lege,  and  in  everything  save  numbers  and  elaborate 
equipment  on  a  par  with  our  American  Universities.  Its 
standards  are  high  and  are  meticulously  enforced. 

During  the  early  days  of  the  college  Arabic  was  the 
language  of  instruction  in  all  departments.  Lack  of  text 
books  in  Arabic  and  the  growing  cosmopolitan  character 
of  the  student  body  forced  the  change  to  a  western  lan¬ 
guage  and  English  was  chosen  as  most  appropriate  for 
the  methods  and  ideals  of  the  institution.  However, 


Page  Twenty-three 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


vernacular  study,  which  is,  of  course,  chiefly  Arabic,  is 
obligatory  throughout  the  preparatory  course  and  the 
first  two  years  of  college. 

Syria  is  under  a  French  mandate.  French  is  the  lan¬ 
guage  of  commerce  and  one  of  the  official  languages  as 
well,  and  French  schools  offer  attractions  to  prospective 
students,  especially  since  they  represent  the  means  of 
easy  access  to  public  and  semi-public  appointments  under 
the  French.  Courses  in  French  at  the  University  are  pre¬ 
scribed  to  neutralize  this  handicap;  a  minimum  of  four 
years  of  French  is  required.  The  University  aims  to  give 
the  student  a  thorough,  knowledge  of  three  languages, 
his  vernacular,  English  and  French. 

The  standard  of  the  professional  schools  is  kept  high 
through  certain  obligatory  professional  courses  in  the 
School  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  But,  after  the  manner  of 
our  American  schools,  there  are  combined  courses  which 
enable  the  student  to  shorten  the  preparatory  training 
through  concentration  on  subjects  in  his  chosen  field. 

While  the  University  endeavors  to  keep  high  the 
standard  of  its  own  work  for  full  recognition  of  its  diplo¬ 
mas  in  American  and  European  institutions,  it  has  also 
reacted  beneficially  on  the  native  and  other  schools  of 
the  Near  East  many  of  whose  students  are  fitting  them¬ 
selves  for  the  more  advanced  courses  at  the  University. 

The  University  is  not  static  either  in  its  courses  or  its 
methods  and  continually  has  before  it  the  ideal  in  educa¬ 
tion  for  young  men  and  young  women  of  the  Near  East. 
It  is  obliged  to  consider  three  essential  factors  in  arrang¬ 
ing  its  curricula.  It  must  present  courses  of  study  satis¬ 
factory  to  both  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University 
of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  Department  of  Public 
Instruction  of  France  which  determines  the  educational 


Page  Twenty-four 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  BUILDING 

laws  of  Syria,  and  it  must  furnish  courses  appropriate  to 
the  conditions  prevailing  in  the  countries  where  the  grad¬ 
uates  find  their  life  work.  Since  the  Great  War  a  thor¬ 
ough  study  of  the  curricula  and  processes  is  being  made 
to  discover  what  adjustments  are  best  suited  to  the 
changed  conditions  of  the  new  era,  especially  with  respect 
to  more  extensive  courses  in  Arabic  literature  and  culture. 

Religious  Exercises  and  Instruction 

The  University  is  a  Christian  institution  but  its  attitude 
toward  men  of  other  religions  is  one  of  cooperation  in 
an  earnest  search  after  truth.  It  believes  that  the  students 
of  the  different  religions  can  cooperate  helpfully  in  at¬ 
tendance  on  and  participation  in  the  various  religious 
activities  of  the  University. 

Page  Twenty-Five 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIR 


UT 


There  are  morning  chapel  exercises  five  days  in  the 
week  which  the  entire  teaching  and  student  body  in  the 
upper  departments  of  the  University  are  expected  to 
attend.  Other  religious  exercises  are  held  on  Sunday, 
attendance  upon  which  is  voluntary  for  students. 

For  such  students  as  have  conscientious  objections 
to  taking  part  in  the  distinctly  religious  life  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity,  a  series  of  alternative  exercises  are  arranged  which 
they  are  required  to  attend  instead.  Although  in  these 
exercises  the  conventional  form  of  religious  teaching  is 
omitted,  the  moral  and  spiritual  aim  of  the  University  is 
presented  emphatically.  A  large  majority  of  the  students 
elect  to  attend  the  religious  services. 

In  the  Preparatory  School  and  in  the  School  of  Arts 
and  Sciences  there  are  regular  curriculum  classes  for  the 
study  of  the  Bible.  There  are  alternative  courses  in 
ethics  or  allied  subjects  for  those  who  are  excused  from 
Bible  classes. 

Brotherhoods  have  been  organized  both  in  the  col¬ 
lege  proper  and  in  the  preparatory  department  as  vol¬ 
untary  religious  societies  for  students  and  teachers. 


Athletics 

The  University  grounds  are  large  and  admirably  sit¬ 
uated  so  that  every  student  may  receive  the  inestimable 
advantages  of  daily  invigorating  exercise  in  the  open  air. 
Regular  physical  exercises,  carefully  supervised  by  a 
trained  instructor,  are  compulsory  for  all  Preparatory 
students  and  for  the  Freshman  and  Sophomore  classes 
of  the  Schools  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  of  Commerce. 
Association  football  is  the  principal  game,  while  basket¬ 
ball,  field  hockey,  tennis  and  swimming  are  also  popular. 
The  mildness  of  the  climate  has  helped  to  counteract 

Page  Twenty-six 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


COSMOPOLITAN  ASSEMBLAGE  AT  FIELD  DAY  SPORTS 


the  lack  of  a  gymnasium.  There  are  baths,  supplied  with 
hot  and  cold  water,  and  in  warm  weather  the  students 
go  to  the  sea,  under  the  supervision  of  a  university  officer, 
for  sea-bathing.  Every  student  is  expected  to  learn  to 
swim  while  at  the  University. 

The  class  games  and  field  sports  have  proven  to  be 
not  only  health  builders  for  the  students  but  an  important 
factor  in  encouraging  democracy  and  in  instilling  a  sense 
of  fair  play  even  among  students  whose  racial  and  relig¬ 
ious  traditions  have  often  led  their  peoples  to  bitter 
conflicts. 

Field  Day  at  the  University  is  a  gala  event  for  the 
whole  country  and  brings  together  distinguished  visitors 
and  a  most  cosmopolitan  and  enthusiastic  concourse  to 
witness  the  strange  antics  of  the  students  in  western  style 
athletic  contests. 


Page  T rventy-seven 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


Other  Activities 

The  students  take  a  keen  interest  in  literary  work  and 
their  class  societies  afford  them  an  opportunity  for  dis¬ 
play  of  talents  in  oratorical  and  debating  contests  as  well 
as  in  dramatic  entertainment,  to  which  they  are  especially 
attracted.  The  students  have  formed  special  literary  so¬ 
cieties  for  the  study  of  the  literature  of  their  vernacular, 
such  as  Arabic,  Hebrew,  Greek  and  Armenian,  and  also 
for  the  study  of  English  and  French.  The  Arabic  Literary 
Society  is  the  oldest  student  organization.  Its  annual 
meeting,  open  to  the  public  on  invitation,  is  one  of  the 
principal  literary  events  of  the  year. 

Commencement  Day  is  considered  by  the  Syrians 
themselves  as  one  of  the  most  important  days  in  the  na¬ 
tional  calendar,  and  the  University  grounds  are  crowded 
during  the  exercises  with  people  of  many  races  and  creeds 
and  classes,  who  have  intimate  contact  with  the  University 
and  a  sympathetic  interest  in  its  work. 

The  Al  Kullayah  is  the  monthly  magazine  published 
by  the  University  with  news  of  the  College  and  alumni 
and  special  articles  of  more  general  interest. 

The  students  have  their  college  and  class  songs  and 
join  with  enthusiasm  in  group  singing,  but  the  oriental 
music,  weird  to  western  ears,  maintains  its  peculiar  hold. 
Instrumental  music  is  popular  with  the  students  and  they 
have  organized  an  orchestra. 

Manual  labor  has  seemed  to  be  an  irradicable  dis¬ 
tinction  between  classes  in  the  Orient.  American  schools 
in  the  Near  East  have  perhaps  been  more  responsible 
than  any  other  agency  for  inculcating  the  idea  of  the 
“dignity  of  labor.”  The  lesson  is  not  yet  thoroughly 
learned  but  the  University  has  a  great  many  examples  of 
it  among  its  students,  and  the  age  of  ridicule  at  manual 
service  there  is  now  past. 


Page  Twenty-eight 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF 


BEIRUT 


than  3,500  diplomas  have  been  granted  during 
the  past  sixty  years  and  many  other  students  have  spent 
several  years  at  the  University  without  completing  the 
full  course. 


Among  the  thousands  of  graduates  are  eager,  earnest 
future  leaders  of  the  Near  East.  They  have  been  trained 
to  become  teachers,  doctors,  merchants,  pharmacists,  den¬ 
tists,  engineers,  nurses;  men  and  women  who  have  re¬ 
sponded  to  the  “psychological  climate”  of  the  University, 
and  at  the  same  time  have  been  disciplined  in  a  definite 
way  to  become  centers  of  light  and  leading  throughout 
the  Near  East  and  in  many  distant  lands. 


Naturally  the  greater  number  of  the  alumni  have  re¬ 
mained  to  serve  in  the  home  land,  and  they  are  always 
well  represented  on  the  Faculty  of  the  University.  They 
are  found  in  almost  all  the  larger  states  of  the  world,  and 
in  certain  countries  they  have  rendered  noteworthy  pub¬ 
lic  service,  especially  in  the  Sudan,  in  Mesopotamia,  and 
in  the  Philippines.  It  is  of  these  that  Lord  Cromer  and 
Lord  Kitchener  and  Sir  Eldon  Corst  and  Sir  Reginald 
Wingate  and  Field-Marshal  Lord  Allenby  have  spoken 
in  such  warm  and  generous  praise  for  their  splendid 
work.  It  is  for  such  men  that  King  Feisal,  son  of  the 
King  of  the  Hedjaz,  has  recently  made  a  personal 
demand  for  his  Mesopotamian  Kingdom. 

The  alumni  have  always  manifested  a  very  great  in¬ 
terest  in  the  University  and  are  just  as  proud  of  their 
Alma  Mater  as  American  graduates  are  of  theirs.  They 
plan  to  send  their  children  to  the  University;  some  of 
the  young  descendants  of  the  third  generation  are  now 
being  educated  there. 


P age  T rventy-nine 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 

.  mull . .  in  i  mi  ii  i  ii  hi  i  limn  min  . . . 

In  1908  the  alumni  of  Egypt  and  the  Sudan  gave 
the  University  the  beautiful  life  size  marble  statue  of 
Dr.  Daniel  Bliss  which  stands  in  the  library. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  alumni  held  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  Commencement  in  1923,  it  was  voted  that  a 
minimum  fund  of  $130,000  be  raised  in  the  course 
of  the  next  three  years,  $50,000  of  which  will  be  devoted 
to  scholarships  and  the  Oriental  Department  of  the 
Library  of  the  University,  and  the  balance  to  be  applied 
to  the  new  general  hospital  building.  Such  evidence  of 
loyalty  on  the  part  of  the  students  gives  the  assurance 
that  the  interest  of  the  natives  in  the  University  is  gen¬ 
uine  and  that  American  contributions  serve  a  worthy 
cause  here. 

Alumni  Associations  have  already  been  organized  at 
Aleppo,  Tripoli,  Beirut,  Haifa,  Jerusalem,  Cairo,  Khar¬ 
tum,  Bagdad,  San  Paulo  (Brazil)  and  New  York.  Other 
branches  are  in  the  process  of  organization. 

Grounds  an  d  Buildings 

The  University  campus  includes  about  fifty  acres  of 
land  on  which  twenty-nine  attractive  buildings  have  been 
erected. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  main  campus  there  are  eleven 
large  buildings  including  Marquand  House,  the  home  of 
the  President,  the  Observatory,  and  several  smaller  build¬ 
ings.  Immediately  to  the  west  of  the  main  campus  is  a 
group  of  four  new  buildings  accommodating  the  Prepar¬ 
atory  Department,  while  in  a  separate  enclosure  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  main  campus  are  the  Women’s,  Chil¬ 
dren’s  and  Eye  Hospitals  connected  with  the  Medical 
School,  and  the  Home  for  Nurses.  Near  by  is  the  Dental 

Page  Thirty ) 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


iliiiiiiiiillillliiiHiiliiiiiiiii 


iiiiimiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieiiiimmi, 


ti  nun  1 1  ii  in  linn  iiiiin,, 


iniiiiiiii 


School  and  also  a  group  of  buildings  used  for  clinics. 
The  equipment  of  the  laboratories  compares  favorably 
with  that  of  the  average  college  in  the  United  States. 

The  Assembly  Hall  is  used  for  chapel  and  Sunday 
services  and  other  public  meetings.  College  Hall  houses 
the  library  which  numbers  about  24,000  volumes,  includ¬ 
ing  1,700  in  Arabic.  The  Administration  building  con¬ 
tains  the  executive  offices  and  visitor  s  reception  room. 

Several  of  the  buildings  have  been  named  in  memory 
of  donors  or  prominent  professors  at  the  University,  as 
Sage  Hall,  Rockefeller  Hall,  Daniel  Bliss  Hall,  Thomson 
Hall,  Morris  K.  Jessup  Hall,  Pliny  Fisk  Hall  and  Martin 
House,  home  of  the  Principal  of  the  Preparatory  School. 

Ada  Dodge  Memorial  Hall  contains  the  president’s 
office,  reception  rooms,  the  bookstore,  the  refectory,  lec¬ 
ture  rooms,  physiological  laboratory  and  dormitories. 

The  George  E.  Post  Science  Hall  contains  the  geo¬ 
logical,  minerological,  zoological,  botanical,  archaeolog¬ 
ical,  and  Biblical  collections  and  science  laboratories. 

The  Robert  H.  West  Hall  was  opened  in  1 9  1 4  as  a 
home  for  religious,  social  and  other  student  activities. 

Museums 

The  Archaeological  Museum  contains  a  collection  of 
antiquities  and  coins  from  the  Near  East. 

A  Biblical  Museum  has  been  established  to  illustrate 
the  life,  manners,  customs,  dress,  implements,  utensils, 
etc.,  in  use  in  the  lands  and  time  of  the  Bible. 

The  Geological  Museum  exhibits  a  large  collection  of 
rocks,  minerals  and  fossils,  mainly  cretaceous,  both  from 
Syria  and  foreign  lands.  The  cretaceous  fish  deposits  of 
Lebanon  are  among  the  richest  in  the  world. 


Page  Thirty-one 


AMERICAN 


UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


The  Botanical  Museum  contains  an  extensive  series  of 
models  for  class  room  work  and  an  herbarium  with  about 
fifteen  thousand  species;  The  herbarium  is  particularly 
rich  in  the  oriental  species,  and  shows  a  considerable 
number  which  are  unique  and  new  to  science.  The  late 
Dr.  George  E.  Post  was  the  author  of  the  most  important 
text  book  on  the  flora  of  the  Near  East. 

The  Zoological  Museum  is  devoted  mainly  to  the 
fauna  of  Syria  and  Palestine. 


The  Observatory 

The  Astronomical  Observatory  is  equipped  with  many 
valuable  instruments,  including  a  1  2-inch  visual  and  pho¬ 
tographic  refractor  with  spectrograph  and  polarizing  pho¬ 
tometer.  The  station  prepares  the  official  weather  reports 
for  Syria. 


GRADUATING  CLASS  OF  NURSES 


Page  Thirty-two 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


Needs  of  the  University 
The  outstanding  needs  of  the  University  include: 

a.  Gifts  to  complete  the  permanent  endowment  fund. 
The  radical  territorial  changes  after  the  war  and  con¬ 
sequent  economic  depression  have  increased  the  cost 
of  maintenance  and  lessened  local  revenue  for  the 
University;  the  present  sources  of  financial  support 
have  been  rendered  inadequate. 

b.  General  hospital  building.  For  over  forty  years  the 
medical  school  used  the  hospital  owned  by  the  Ger¬ 
mans.  That  was  taken  away  when  America  entered 
the  war  and  cannot  be  recovered.  The  alumni  are 
pledging  a  part  of  their  fund  for  the  new  hospital 
building;  additional  funds  are  necessary. 

c.  Scholarship  funds  for  worthy  students.  The  tuition 
amounts  to  $75.00  and  full  scholarship  including 
board,  lodging  and  tuition,  $225.00. 

d.  Library. 

e.  Gymnasium. 

r.  Faculty  houses.  Rented  houses  are  expensive  and  not 
conveniently  available.  Proper  homes  increase  the 
efficiency  of  teaching  force.  $15,000  will  build  a 
house  and  thus  provide  a  real  home  for  a  faculty 
family. 

g.  $20,000  to  complete  the  building  of  the  Nurses’ 
Training  School. 

P age  Thirty-three 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


Americans  in  Residence  at  University  of  Beirut 

1923-24 


Faculty 


Bayard  Dodge . President 

ALFRED  E.  Day . Natural  Sciences ,  Dean  of  School 

of  Arts  and  Sciences 


Walter  B.  Adams . Pharmacology ,  Therapeutics  and 

Dermatology 

Charles  A.  Webster.  .Anatomy  and  Diseases  of  Eye  and 

Ear 

William  H.  Hall . Principal  of  Preparatory  School 

^Edward  F.  Nickoley.  .  . Economics ,  Principal  of  School  of 

Commerce 

J.  Stewart  Crawford.  .Bible  and  Ethics 

Harry  G.  Dorman . Gynecology ,  Dean  of  Medical 

Faculty 

Harold  H.  Nelson.  .  .  .History 


Julius  A.  Brown . Astronomy 

ARTHUR  R.  Dray . Operative  Dentistry ,  Principal  of 

the  School  of  Dentistry 


Edwin  St.  John  Ward.  .Surgery 
William  T.  Van  Dyck. Zoology 

Byron  P.  Smith . English 

Harold  W.  Close . Chemistry 

Arthur  A.  Bacon . Physics 

Philip  K.  Hitti . History 

Laurens  H.  Seelye.  .  .  .Psychology  and  Philosophy 

Habib  Y.  Rihan . Prosthetic  Dentistry 

Wm.  D.  Cruikshank.  .  .Pathology 

Henry  W.  Smith . Psychiatry  and  Neurology 

Leland  W.  Parr . Bacteriology 

Edward  L.  Turner.  .  .  .Physiology 
George  B.  Stewart,  Jr.  Treasurer 


Page  Thirty-four 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


Memb  ers  of  Staff  and  Additional  Administration 

Officials 


Mrs.  Robert  H.  West 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Crawford 
f  Mrs.  Gerald  F.  Dale 
Mrs.  FIarris  Graham 
Miss  Jane  E.  VanZandt 
*Mrs.  Edw.  F.  Nickoley 
Archie  S.  Crawford 
Francis  W.  West 
Walter  H.  Ritsher 
Thomas  D.  Ewing 
Walter  L.  Wright,  Jr. 
Joseph  H.  Stein 
Raymond  C.  Whittlesey 
Roy  Neil  Veatch 
David  Hall 
Randolph  B.  Smith 
Francis  M.  Potts 
Alfred  W.  Bastress 
Isaiah  B.  Hickman 
Frederick  T.  Knepper 
William  A.  West 


Andrus  O.  Griffith 
J.  Forrest  Crawford 
Robert  Stone 
Robert  C.  Francis 
Frederick  Yeiser 
William  H.  Forbes 
G.  Malcolm  Van  Dyke 
Paul  H.  McKee 
Fred  T.  Smith 
Albert  J.  Dow 
Miss  Helen  McBurney 
Miss  Margaret  West 
Miss  Ella  U.  Osborne 
Miss  Sara  A.  Metzler 
Miss  Elsie  Stancliffe 
Miss  Ellen  Simpson 
Miss  Lydia  Talbot 
Miss  Sarah  R.  Seybold 
Miss  Hazel  B.  Distin 
Miss  Kathryn  M.  Neuman 
Miss  Flora  R.  Landon 


Miss  Marjorie  G.  Webster 


*Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nickoley  on  leave  at  the  University  of  Illinois. 
tResigned  January,  1923. 


Page  Thirty- five 


AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  OF  BEIRUT 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 

Mr.  William  M.  Kingsley 
Mr.  Arthur  Curtis  James 
Mr.  Alfred  E.  Marling 
Mr.  Marcellus  Hartley  Dodge 
Mr.  William  Fellows  Morgan 
Miss  Eleanor  de  Graff  Cuyler 
Dr.  Franklin  A.  Dorman 
Mr.  James  Howell  Post 
Mr.  Clarence  Phelps  Dodge 
Mrs.  Van  Santvoord  Merle-Smith 
Dr.  William  S.  Ladd 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  Webb 


President,  BAYARD  Dodge 


AMERICAN  OFFICES 

18  East  41st  Street,  New  York  City 
Executive  Secretary,  Albert  W.  Staub 


Page  Thirty-six 


DIRECTORY 


American  University  of  Beirut.  President,  Rev.  Bayard 
Dodge. 

American  Consulate.  Mr.  Paul  Knabenshue,  Consul. 

American  Mission  and  Press.  (Presbyterian.)  Director, 
Rev.  Paul  Erdman. 

Arabic  Bible  and  other  literature  for  the  Arabic 

world  is  produced  here. 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sions.  (Congregational.)  Director,  Rev.  Nesbit 
Chambers,  D.D. 

Near  East  Relief.  Director,  Charles  W.  Fowle. 

The  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Service  Center.  (“The  Club  for  Mutual 
Help.’’)  Director,  Miss  Brown. 


t 


